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==Wicca vs. Witchcraft== | ==Wicca vs. Witchcraft== | ||
When the religion first came to public attention, it was commonly called "[[Witchcraft]]". For instance, Gerald Gardner—the man regarded as the "Father of Wicca"—referred to it as the "Craft of the Wise", "witchcraft", and "the witch-cult" during the 1950s. There is no evidence that he ever called it "Wicca", although he did refer to the collective community of Pagan Witches as "the Wica" (with one c). As a name for the religion, "Wicca" developed in Britain during the 1960s. It is not known who precisely invented the term "Wicca" in reference to the religion, although one possibility is that it might have been Gardner's rival Charles Cardell, who was referring to it as the "Craft of the Wiccens" by 1958. | When the religion first came to public attention, it was commonly called "[[Witchcraft]]". For instance, Gerald Gardner—the man regarded as the "Father of Wicca"—referred to it as the "Craft of the Wise", "witchcraft", and "the witch-[[cult]]" during the 1950s. There is no evidence that he ever called it "Wicca", although he did refer to the collective community of Pagan Witches as "the Wica" (with one c). As a name for the religion, "Wicca" developed in Britain during the 1960s. It is not known who precisely invented the term "Wicca" in reference to the religion, although one possibility is that it might have been Gardner's rival Charles Cardell, who was referring to it as the "Craft of the Wiccens" by 1958. | ||
Alongside "Wicca", two other names often used for the religion by its practitioners are "Witchcraft" and "the Craft." Using the word "Witchcraft" in this context can result in confusion both with other, non-religious forms of [[witchcraft]] as well as other religions—such as [[Satanic Temple|Satanism]] and Luciferianism—whose practitioners also sometimes describe themselves as "[[Witch]]es". | Alongside "Wicca", two other names often used for the religion by its practitioners are "Witchcraft" and "the Craft." Using the word "Witchcraft" in this context can result in confusion both with other, non-religious forms of [[witchcraft]] as well as other religions—such as [[Satanic Temple|Satanism]] and Luciferianism—whose practitioners also sometimes describe themselves as "[[Witch]]es". | ||
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==Sex magic== | ==Sex magic== | ||
In certain traditions, ritualised sex magic is performed in the form of the Great Rite, whereby a High Priest and High Priestess invoke the God and Goddess to possess them before performing sexual intercourse to raise magical energy for use in | In certain traditions, ritualised [[sex magic]] is performed in the form of the Great Rite, whereby a High Priest and High Priestess invoke the God and Goddess to possess them before performing sexual intercourse to raise magical energy for use in spellwork. In nearly all cases it is instead performed "in token," thereby merely symbolically, using the athame to symbolise the penis and the chalice to symbolise the womb. | ||
[[Gerald Gardner]], the man many consider the father of Wicca, believed strongly in sex magic. Much of Gardner's witch practice centered around the power of sex and its liberation, and that one of the most important aspects of the [[Paganism|neo-Pagan]] revival has been its ties, not just to sexual liberation, but also to feminism and women's liberation. | [[Gerald Gardner]], the man many consider the father of Wicca, believed strongly in sex magic. Much of Gardner's witch practice centered around the power of sex and its liberation, and that one of the most important aspects of the [[Paganism|neo-Pagan]] revival has been its ties, not just to sexual liberation, but also to feminism and women's liberation. | ||